John Veverka & Associates

Interpretive Consultants

Provoke, Relate, Reveal and more!

For the Cutting edge in Heritage Interpretation

Interpretive Planning, Training, Evaluation and more!

World Wide

5010 Delray Dr. Lansing, Michigan 48910

(517) 899-4548 (we've gone mobile)   jvainterp@aol.com

SKYPE: jvainterp

From interpretive planning for castles in Wales for the National Trust and bird sanctuaries in Michigan for the Kellogg Biological Station, to interpretive training in Alabama for the US Army Corps of Engineers, and museum exhibit evaluation in Wisconsin - (bottom row) and critiquing ancient temples interpretation on Malta for Malta Heritage, prehistoric archaeological site interpretation in Utah for Nine Mile Canyon/BLM, and docent/interpretive staff training for the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, we do that - and more!

Heritage Interpretation: Interpretive Planning, Training and Consultation Services

Serving Parks, Museums, Historic Sites, Zoos & Botanical Gardens, Heritage Tourism Sites and Facilities, Commercial Tourism Attractions, and related interpretive sites and facilities -

Qualifications

2011 Projects

2010 Projects

2009 Projects

2008 Projects

2007 Projects

2006 Projects

2005 Projects

2004 Projects 

2003 Projects  Interpretive Services Library Interpretive Planning  Scenic Byways  Evaluation Links         Text Book     Training Video    Home Page

                  Our 2007 Clients/Projects.

US Army Corps of Engineers - Interpretive Training.  JVA was awarded a  new 5-year interpretive services training contract for teaching two 3-day "Interpretive Services" courses each year for the COE at their Huntsville, AL training center.  The first session will be in January, 2008.   JVA has been providing this interpretive training course for the Corps of Engineers for the past 20 years, and is pleased to be able to continue providing this valuable training for the Corps.

Texas Historical Commission.  Provide three interpretive workshop sessions for the THC annual conference, 1-3 May, 2008.   You can learn more about the THC at http://www.the.state.tx.us.

Florida Division of Recreation and Parks. Provind interpretive planning consultation and docent training on developing interpretive tours (one for the general public, one for K-12 school groups) for the Florida Caverns State Park, January, 2008.  You can visit this site at: http://www,fkirudastateoarjs,irg/floridacaverns/default.cfm.

Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration of Greece (Geological Heritage Conservation Office), Athens, Greece.  JVA was invited to conduct a 4 day interpretation course on planning and development of interpretive services for geological resources and sites in Greece, December 4-7th, 2007.   You can visit this client at: http://www.igme.gr/enmain.htm

Participants in the Geological Training Course - We began the strategy to develop a National Geological Herigate Area that participants will follow up on.

Lackawanna Heritage Valley, Scranton, PA.  Provide several interpretive training workshops and site interpretive planning consultations for LHV sites.  March, 2008.  You can visit this client at: http://www.LHVA.org.

   The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley - Rose Hill Interpretive Plan.  JVA was selected to develop the interpretive master plan for the Jose Hill facility within the museum campus.   You are invited to visit this client at: http://www.shenandoahmuseum.org.   The project will run from October through December, 2007.

Wisconsin DNR Division of Forestry - Forestry Education and Awareness Center Interpretive Master Plan.  JVA was selected to develop the Interpretive Plan for the new Forestry Education and Awareness Center, Milwaukee County, WI.  June 07 - Jan 08.

Macomb Community College Cultural Center, Clinton Twp, Michigan. Provide a interpretive exhibit planning focus workshop for the Cultural Center exhibition team for their new Great Lakes - Great Stories exhibition to open this summer. Provide consultation services for upcoming exhibitions 2007-2008.

Norfolk Tourism, Norwich, and the Broads Authority ENGLAND, received a LEADER + grant for a major interpretive project for the Norfolk Tourism region and Broads National Park Authority.  JVA was the winning proposal for Phase I of this project to develop a structured interpretive assessment of all current interpretive sites and facilities within the region and their interpretive services, develop a regional interpretive strategy, and regional interpretive planning and training program.  Phase I was completed in September 2007. JVA was recently awarded the contract for Phase II of this large project, and will be developing several interpretive training courses offered in the Region, as well as developing 10 interpretive plans for selected "priority development" sites within the Broads.  This project will run from October 2007 - March 2008.

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.  Provide/facilitate two interpretive planning workshop sessions for participants and stakeholders of the NH Trail, part of the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program.  September, 2007.

The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.   Provide an interpretive consultation on site based interpretive planning for the NMW Slate Mine site,  September, 2007.  You can visit the National Museum of Wales at: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk .

National Slate Museum entrance (left) and visitors in the museum courtyard (right).

Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, MD.  Provide initial interpretive planning consultation for the re-design for the new Estuary Exhibit Gallery and Aquarium, August, 2007.   You can visit the Calvert Marine Museum at:   http://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com .

Monument Valley Interpretive Center (managed by the Monument Valley Economic Deelopment Association - serving the Oljato Navajo Community), Monument Valley, NM.  JVA provided interpretive exhibit and interpretive master planning consultation services for this new interpretive center.  June, 2007.

The new MV interpretive center (just finished construction - left) and a view of the Monument Valley Landscape (right).

Whitlingham County Park (a member of the Broads National Park system), Norwich, Norfolk, England.   Interpretive Master  Planning consultation and development for the County Park - a gateway park for the Broads National Park system.  April, 2007.

Cultural and Heritage Tourism Program, State of Pennsylvania - Provide interpretive planning, marketing and visitor survey consultation services to the six major hubs and State Office, of the state-wide Pennsylvania Underground Railroad and Pennsylvania Quest for Freedom programs development efforts.  This project will run from 1 July 07 through October 2007.

Macomb Community College Cultural Center, Clinton Twp, Michigan. Provide a interpretive exhibit planning focus workshop for the Cultural Center exhibition team for their new Great Lakes - Great Stories exhibition to open this summer. April, 2007.

Cultural and Heritage Tourism Program, State of Pennsylvania - Underground Railroad Colloquium in Philadelphia, 10 April, 2007. Provide interpretive planning/training consultation for workshop sessions.

Heritage Tourism Program and Museum Services Program.  JVA was awarded an interpretive training contract with the Texas Historical Commission to provide 10 one-day workshops on the "Basics of Interpretation", for museums located throughout Texas.  The workshops took place in June and July, 2007.

Norfolk Tourism, Norwich, ENGLAND, received a LEADER + grant for a major interpretive project for the Norfolk Tourism region and Broads National Park Authority.  JVA was the winning proposal to develop a structured interpretive assessment of all current interpretive sites and facilities within the region and their interpretive services, develop a regional interpretive strategy, and regional interpretive management and operation policies.  The project will continue through Spring of 2007.

Steamboat Era Museum, Irvington, VA.  Provide interpretive exhibit planning and related consultation services for the museum staff, February, 2007.  You can visit the museum at: http://www.steamboateramuseum.ort

Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, MD.  Develop an interpretive master plan for the museum and grounds to provide a unifying theme and sub-themes for the site and exhibits, help with visitor orientation, and make the museum site experience more meaningful for all visitors.   January - June 2007.   You can visit the Calvert Marine Museum at:   http://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com .

Part of the Museum campus - the Drum Point Lighthouse (left), and the new Discovery Room in the main museum building (right).

  Fort St. James National Historic Site of Canada, Fort St. James, B.C.  Provide a three day interpretive training workshop on planning and delivery of live and innovative interpretive programs for parks staff.  Also provide site interpretive planning consultations.  May  7th - 9th, 2007.  You can visit this site and learn more about it at: http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/bc/stjames/natcul/index_E.asp

Fort St. James National Historic Site of Canada.

  F.A. Seiberling Naturealm - Metro Parks serving Summit County , Akron, Ohio.  Provide interpretive consultation services for the design, fabrication and installation of new exhibits for the Naturealm Interpretive Center.  JVA did the interpretive master plan for Naturealm and the Interpretive Exhibit Plan for the Center working closely with Naturealm Staff.  This consultation service will run from January 07 through the final installation of the exhibits in February 2009.  You can visit their web site at: http://www.neo.rr.com/MetroParks.

Institute of Tourist Guiding, London, UK.  Provide a one day interpretive methods/techniques workshop for professional tourist guides, September, 2007, in London.  For more information about this organization you can visit their web site at: http://www.itg.org.uk.

The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.   Provide an interpretive training workshop on planning and designing self-guiding museum themed "trails" through the museum/galleries with self-guiding brochures or audio guides.  May, 2007.  You can visit the National Museum of Wales at: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk .

Workshop participants doing their practicums in leading museum gallery tours.

Association of Partners for Public Lands/NPS Gateway Program.  Provided three one-day interpretive planning seminars in Virginia and Maryland, to Gateway member sites staff on basics of interpretation and the importance of interpretive planning.  January, 2007.  Jan 16th, VA Living Museum (bottom left), Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park/Museum (bottom right), and the Chesapeake Exploration Center, MD (not shown).

State of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development.  Provide an interpretive planning seminar and open dialogue for their Pennsylvania Underground Railroad Colloquium, 19 January, 2007, Christiana, PA.

  Haida Heritage Centre, Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, B.C. Canada. Provide a variety of interpretive planning consultation services and interpretive training for the Heritage Centre Staff as well as interpretive program planning development.  The $26 million dollar heritage Centre is a series of longhouses connected by interior walkways and fronted with six traditional totem poles representing each of the 14 clans.  The interpretation focuses on and is a celebration of the living culture of the Haida people.  You can visit this site at: http://www.haidaheritagecentre.com.   December 2006 - June 2007.

Develop the Interpretive Systems Plan for the Mainline  Canal Greenway, Pennsylvania.  The Greenway is a heritage corridor following the route of the historic Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, going from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg PA, almost 320 miles in length.  This project will take many months to complete, beginning in July, 2006.  You can learn more about his heritage area at: http://www.alleghenyridge.org .

The old route location for the Mainline Canal through Saltsburg, PA, through the center of the town.  The old tow path for the canal boats is the light colored sidewalk to the left of the paved old canal route.

Juniata River Water Trail, Pennsylvania.   Provide interpretive planning services and draft concept for interpretive signage at key access points for the Water Trail, which includes about 150 miles of paddling/boating the river and includes parks of the old Mainline Canal and the Mainline Canal Greenway.  For more information on the River Water Trail contact: http://www.alleghenyridge.org  (The Altoona Heritage Discovery Center).

Association of Railway Museums 2007 Conference, October 3-7, 2007, hosted by the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, Washington, PA.  Provide two interpretive training seminars for this conference on Interpretive Planning and Marketing Basics for Railway Museums.  For more information on the conference visit the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum web site at: http://www.pa-trolley.org.  You can visit the ARM at: http://www.railwaymuseums.org/Home.htm.

Snowdonia National Park Training Center, Wales. Participants in our May 2007 course, The Art of Teaching Interpretation to Others".  Our September 2007 Course was on Planning and Presenting Live Interpretive Programs and Tours.

Some of our 15 participants working on planning for their "teaching" practicum experience (left) and presentation of a live interpretive talk from the September "live interpretation" course (right).

US Army Corps of Engineers - Interpretive Services Course.  JVA was awarded the contract to teach the annual   Interpretive Services Training Course for the Corps through 2007.  The contract also called for rewriting/updating the course training manual, lesson plans, and all course handouts.  Training courses for 2007 were in February and June at the COE National Training Center, Huntsville, Alabama.

February 2007 Class (left), and June Class (right) field trip to Huntsville Constitution Village, a living history site - the class is participating in an interpretive tour of the village and discussing activities for children.